ORANGEBURG – Junior guard
Christian Kessee exploded for a career-high 27 points knocking down six three pointers in an, 88-83, road loss to South Carolina State University on Saturday, February 6
th.
CSU's
Christian Kessee led four Eagles in double figure scoring with a career-best 27 points on 10-of-15 made field goals including 6-of-9 made three pointers against the Bulldogs. Coppin State falls to 5-17 overall and 3-6 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play while South Carolina State moves to 13-11 overall and 8-2 in the MEAC.
The Eagles back court duo of
Christian Kessee and junior guard
Trevon Seymore combined for 34 of 46 second half points. Kessee was hot from the field scoring 24 points knocking down 9-of-12 shots from the field and 5-of-7 from long range. Seymore added ten second half points with a game-high four assists and finished with a career-best nine rebounds.
Defensively Coppin State had 19 points contributed off of 18 Bulldog turnovers. Junior guard
Keith Shivers led the way with three steals and finished with ten points. Shivers had eight first half points with a pair of steals. Junior forward
Terry Harris Jr. was the other Eagle to reach double figure scoring with 13 points and four rebounds.
Coppin State's bench production was anchored by junior guard
James Sylvester and freshmen guard
Lucian Brownlee. Sylvester made a pair of three pointers finishing with nine points while Brownlee had five points converting on 3-of-3 from the free throw line.
Christian Kessee's three pointer at the 13:25 mark of the second half gave the Eagles a 52-51 advantage. That was their last lead in the game as the Bulldogs extended the CSU deficit to ten (86-76) with 24 seconds left in regulation. A final three pointer by Kessee and a dunk by Harris in the final moments was the curtain call for the Eagles in their battle against the Bulldogs. South Carolina State shot 58% (30-51) from the field and 64% (20-31) from the charity stripe against the Eagles rolling to their third consecutive MEAC victory.
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures led by Ed Stephens 23 points. Gabriel McCray added 19 points followed by Eric Eaves 18 points and Tashombe Riley's ten points.
Coppin State heads to Savannah, Ga. on Monday, Feb. 8 for their sixth road MEAC game of the season with a matchup against Savannah State. The Tigers have won all four meetings in the all-time series against the Eagles. Last season, Coppin State loss at home 73-70 on February 9, 2015.
